DID YOU READ

On “Cabin Fever 2” and where the hell horror film is headed next.

Horror is in a strange place right now. In a genre currently steeped in remakes, “Paranormal Activity” has become the first original nail-biter to break through to the masses since “Saw,” whose sixth installment showed its (and torture porn in general’s) age by coming in second to “Activity” (in its third week) at the box office this weekend. Likewise, the film “Activity” has been most compared to, “The Blair Witch Project,” recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, reminding everyone what a rare phenomenon it is to get spooked in a new way.

These were the things I was thinking about when I sat down to watch Ti West’s “Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever” at Los Angeles’ Screamfest over the weekend, coincidentally the genre festival that premiered “Activity” in 2007. A sequel to the 2003 splatter flick that launched Eli Roth’s career, “Cabin Fever 2” was supposed to do the same for West, a young director who’s shown a knack for squeezing scares out of low-budget, highly inventive films like “Triggerman” and “The Roost,” but who’d get his shot at a bigger budget with the Lionsgate-backed sequel. West got the money, but not final cut — he’s since disowned the final product, which is set to go direct to DVD in February 2010.

Still, there’s enough promise in the compromised “Cabin Fever 2,” when paired with his first true masterwork “House of the Devil,” to believe West might be horror’s next great hope. (And, full disclosure, he does have a web series called “Dead and Lonely” premiering on IFC.com today.) What’s clear from both films is that West’s creativity and screenwriting ability should make him interesting even to non-genre movie fans — and horror is in dire need of more crossover hits.

Of course, true horror fans will get an extra kick out of “Cabin Fever 2” appearances from “The Last Winter”‘s Larry Fessenden, “American Movie”‘s Mark Borchardt and Judah Friedlander (sans trademark hat), but while there’s a fair amount of gore, the film takes a threadbare plot (conveyed in an animated opening credits sequence) of a town whose water supply has been contaminated by the flesh-eating virus from the first film and turns it into the kind of fun that West determinedly depicts as not happening at the high school prom that becomes ground zero. Thanks to the tainted water, never has the stir of a punch bowl been so ominous.

West’s gripes about the finished film have been that the producers amped up the gross-out moments for the sake of a laugh — oral sex from a girl with braces and a suspicious pustule on her lip, an overweight girl’s burgeoning leprosy being mistaken for loss of virginity in a pool, and a male character’s ejaculation of something other than semen — and while he isn’t wrong, the scenarios are inherently terrifying.

Editing may have changed West’s intentions, but they don’t mask his devotion to dialogue and building multidimensional characters, so when there’s a payoff, it doesn’t feel like a cheap thrill. Like his brilliant use of The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” in “House of the Devil,” West dusts off Patrick Hernandez’s “Born to Be Alive” and tells all you need to know about the teens at the soon-to-be infected high school in a montage of their preparation for prom.

“Cabin Fever 2” ends with a noticeably tacked-on ending — first, a live-action coda featuring two of the film’s producers making cameos as strip club patrons, and then an animated bookend, which prompted one Screamfest audience member to ask producer Lauren Moews why there were different animators for the opening and closing sequences. Moews tellingly responded that opening credits animator Lawson Deming wasn’t available when “we wanted to figure out what to do for the end.” Presumably, West wasn’t around either by that point. Moews added that original “Fever” director Roth had only seen a finished cut of the film a couple weeks ago, with his main comment being “Man, I want that soundtrack.”

Although West’s name came up sparingly during the Q&A, lead actor Noah Segan remarked that his first discussions with the director revolved around “Heathers” as far as influences were concerned, but also veered towards Sam Peckinpah — “We wanted to make something matter today using something traditional.” And regardless of what happened with his first attempt at studio work, West appears to be well on his way to a fruitful career of doing just that. We just hope he has final cut for his next film, “The Haunting in Georgia,” another sequel to a Lionsgate hit.

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and thanks to IFC’s movie marathon all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you can revel in classic ’80s films AND find inspiration for your last-minute gifts. Here are our recommendations, if you need a head start:

Musical Instrument

Great analog entertainment substitute when you refuse to give your kid the Nintendo Switch they’ve been drooling over.

Breakfast In Bed

Any significant other or child would appreciate these Uncle Buck-approved flapjacks. Just make sure you’re not stuck on clean up duty.

Cocktail Supplies

You’ll need them to get through the holidays.

Dance Lessons

So you can learn to shake-shake-shake (unless you know ghosts willing to lend a hand).

Comfy Clothes

With all the holiday meals, there may be some…embigenning.

Get even more great inspiration all Christmas Eve and Day on IFC, and remember…